Space Pirates and Zombies SPAZ Achievement Guide

Introduction

Welcome to the achievement guide for Space Pirates and Zombies!

The purpose of this guide is to give a clear and concise overview of the requirements for earning all 48 achievements in the game and reaching that perfect 100% completion.

The game itself is not too difficult to beat. It keeps multiple autosave slots and allows manual saving. Also, there are very few instances where it's even possible to lose the game. Worst case scenarios usually mean retreating to the safety of your mothership and rebuilding your fleet.

It should take about 50+ hours to complete the game from start to finish, depending on how much grinding you end up doing. It's possible to earn all achievements in a single playthrough when playing on Insane. However, it can be excruciatingly challenging if you have no prior experience with the game, so it's up to you.

Thanks to the ability to save/load the game, there really aren't any missable achievements. I guess the easiest one to miss is Single Minded ("Don't use respec"). However, as long as you know not to touch that respec button, you'll be just fine.

Some tips for beating the game on Insane:

Creating a larger galaxy at the start of the game means a slower increase in difficulty for neighboring star systems, although it's possible to complete Insane even on the smallest galaxy.

It's best to set the tech availability to max, so you can acquire useful weapon and component blueprints more easily.

Decide your tech path early – go for either beams or cannons, not both (waste of points). Also avoid messing with high-level tech (mines, drones, bombs), as they're not really worth the effort.

It's possible to grind out most of the game without having to fight any difficult battles:

1) Mine asteroids or complete bounty hunter challenges for Rez

2) Use Rez to buy goons and weapon blueprints from starbases

3) Trade goons for data and/or use them to bribe your way past warpgates

Since asteroids at mining bases contain infinite Rez, this basic method can help you improve your fleet's strength whenever you have trouble bypassing difficult star systems.

An easy way to farm ship blueprints is to take a cloaked ship into conflict events and fly around, collecting blueprints as they drop from destroyed ships. Many missions are also much easier when using a single cloaked ship.

Another method is to attack a hostile high-level starbase, wait until the defense fleet warps in, quickly destroy the best ship, pick up the blueprint and retreat. Repeat until you have unlocked the ship.

Science bases in infected star systems (Chapter 3) have a far more favorable Rez-to-data trade ratio than regular bases. Conversely, colony bases in infected systems have a horrible Rez-to-goons ratio.

Unlike starbases, defense fleets at warpgates do not respawn when destroyed, so you can use hit-and-run tactics with the help of mass retreat to take out the ships one by one.And finally, regarding the ship loadouts...

There isn't really a single "best" ship for each size class. I've often chosen to use ships simply because of the fact that I liked their design. The key to having a powerful end-game fleet is simple. First, unlock any ship with a huge turret mount (Carrier, Hammerhead, etc). Then fit the turret hardpoint with a cannon. Beams can work too, but they're less effective. Finally, fill all remaining module and weapon hardpoints with nothing but cannon boosters.

When cannon boosters were first introduced to the game, they only increased the fire rate of the weapons. Now they also improve the projectile range, speed and damage. With this fairly simple loadout, my main ship was tearing through the largest enemy vessels and starbases in a matter of seconds, even in the highest-level systems on Insane difficulty. If you want to "easy-mode" through the game, this is the best strategy to use.

With all that out of the way, let's begin!

Achievements (part 1)

A Small Talent for War

Destroy 100 enemy ships

Deadly

Destroy 500 enemy ships

5th Horseman

Destroy 2500 enemy ships

Self-explanatory. This counts all destroyed enemy ships, including those destroyed by your allies and AI-controlled wingmen. You should easily reach the required number of kills in the course of a single playthrough.

Petty Miner

Collect 1000 Rez

Big Digger

Collect 10,000 Rez

Rez Lord

Collect 100,000 Rez

Rez is the main resource of the game, used mostly for building ships and purchasing technology. This achievement counts all the Rez gathered from mining asteroids and trading with civilian starbases, as well as the Rez awarded for completing missions, bounty hunter arena challenges, etc. You should easily reach the required number of Rez in the course of a single playthrough.

Slave Driver

Collect 250 goons

Labor Acquisition Master

Collect 2500 goons

Goon Tycoon

Collect 25,000 goons

Goons are the secondary resource of the game, basically extra crewmembers that can be used to either bolster the standing crew of your current fleet (for quicker ship repairs and added defense against boarders), or as currency for trading with (or bribing) other factions in any star system. The easiest ways of collecting goons are by picking up escape pods from destroyed ships or by purchasing goons from friendly civilian colony bases.

Eye Popper

Space 250 goons

Whenever you pick up an escape pod from a destroyed ship, there is a chance that the rescued goon will join the crew of your ship. The likelihood is greater if the pod came from a friendly vessel and your ship currently has a low crew count. However, if the goon decides not to join, he is automatically put out of the airlock.

Big Bada Boom

Destroy a Tier 3 UTA base

Each star system has a UTA security base, ranging from Tier 0 to Tier 3. Successfully destroying a Tier 3 starbase requires substantial firepower, as its shields, defenses and supporting fleet tend to be quite formidable even on easier difficulties. However, there are quite a few strategies and ship compositions that can efficiently take out bases (see the Introduction section for tips).

Oh the humanity!

Destroy a Tier 3 civ base

In addition to the UTA, each system also has a civilian base (either a mining, colony or science base). These bases have defenses unique to their type, as well as various different classes of ships protecting them. Otherwise, they’re similar to UTA bases and you can use identical methods to destroy them. Note that civilian bases in high-level systems can be very useful for trading, so try not to blow them all up.

Master Blaster

Destroy 25 starbases

Just destroy the required number of bases over the course of the game. This achievement counts all starbases – UTA, civilian, zombie and bounty hunter – and can be done over multiple playthroughs. Note that save-scumming doesn’t help here (you can’t reload a save to destroy the same weak base over and over again).

Scout

Explore 10 star systems

Explorer

Explore 50 star systems

Omniscient

Explore 150 star systems

When generating the galaxy at the start of the game, you can set the number of star systems yourself (anywhere between 150 and 300). Just travel to 150 different star systems over the course of the game and the achievement is yours. Like other achievements, these can be done over multiple playthroughs.

Errand Boy

Complete 5 missions

Fixer

Complete 25 missions

Mission Master

Complete 100 missions

Although there are only a limited number of story-related campaign missions, all star systems have infinite optional missions, as completed or expired missions are constantly replaced with new ones. Beating the bounty hunter arena challenges also counts towards the mission total. These achievements can easily be earned halfway through a single playthrough.

Achievements (part 2)

Trainee

Collect a common specialist

Minion

Collect an uncommon specialist

Henchman

Collect a rare specialist

Expert

Collect an elite specialist

Ninja

Collect a godlike specialist

Specialists are unique crewmembers of varying rarity that can occasionally be found in escape pods. They provide fleetwide bonuses to weapons and technology, various discounts and/or other benefits. The drop chance of a specialist pod is greater the fewer specialists you already have. It also depends on the level difference between you and the current star system (higher drop chance for a wider level gap). Starbases and larger ships are more likely to drop specialists compared to smaller ships. Other ways of acquiring specialists include completing bounty hunter arena missions (guaranteed specialist rewards after each ladder) or certain side missions. For example, Balance of Power (Part 1) always rewards you with a random godlike specialist, etc.

Mentor

Train a specialist to Expert

Each specialist starts out as a Rookie and can be ranked up to further improve their bonuses. Specialists gain experience every time you earn a new level, reaching Veteran and eventually Master (Expert). Note that only active specialists gain experience as you level up.

Gold Watch

Retire a specialist

If you run out of specialist slots, it’s advisable to retire any unwanted specialists. Retired specialists grant a one-time data boost depending on their level, rarity and rank. Just click on the trash can icon on the specialist screen to retire any of them.

Palm Greaser

Bribe past 5 warpgates

You need to gain access to a warpgate every time you want to travel to another star system. This can be accomplished by either destroying the UTA blockade at the gate, or bribing the local UTA starbase into letting you through. The size of the bribe (paid in goons) depends on the level of the system. Use the bribe for five different warpgates for the achievement.

Negotiator

Bribe star relations 5 times

Your relationship with other factions in any star system can be improved by offering a bribe in their local starbase. Each bribe will increase the relationship level by one (from "dislike" to "neutral", etc). The size of the bribe (paid in goons) depends on the level of the system. Use the bribe five times for the achievement.

Tactical Retreat

Mass retreat 5 times

The option to mass retreat is available from the Tactics Screen (default: F2). It instantly recalls your entire fleet back to the mothership. This is best used to avoid losing any more ships when the fight seems unwinnable, or to pull the fleet back after completing a mission if you don’t want to waste time hunting down the remaining enemy ships.

Chemistry Set

Reach tech level 10

Mr. Science

Reach tech level 50

Power Overwhelming

Reach tech level 100

You can increase your tech level by collecting data (basically XP). Each new level grants you three upgrade points that can be used to research various tech. Data can be acquired by destroying enemy ships, trading with civilian science bases, or retiring unwanted specialists. Data is also rewarded for completing most missions. The amount of received data depends on the level difference between you and the current star system (more data drops for a wider level gap). There is no cap to your tech level. You should easily reach level 100 by the end of a single playthrough.

Uber Technician

Research a category to level 10

There are 15 different tech categories in the game, each improving the strength of your fleet and unlocking new options for outfitting your ships. All categories start at level 0 and can be improved by leveling up (collecting data). In order to advance to the next level in a category, you need to spend points equal to that level (for example, a level 5 category requires 5 upgrade points to research, etc). In other words, it takes 55 upgrade points to research a single category all the way to level 10. Note that higher levels remain locked until the completion of certain story missions.

Harbor Master

Unlock all ship hulls

There are many different ship hulls in the game, divided into five classes by their size (tiny to huge). Each hull can be unlocked by collecting blueprints from destroyed ships of the corresponding type. If enough blueprints have been collected, the hull is unlocked and becomes available to use when building your own ships.

No Pieces Left Over

Unlock all components

There are many different weapons and other ship components in the game, all of which can be acquired by purchasing the corresponding blueprints from friendly starbases. These blueprints are spread out randomly. Alternatively, you can attack and destroy the starbase to take the blueprints by force.

Achievements (part 3)

Mr. Fixit

Repair the Clockwork

Bigger is Better

Upgrade the Clockwork

Frankenstein

The Clockwork II

(Story-related) Earned by completing Chapters 1-3. These achievements unlock automatically upon the completion of certain story missions.

Good Riddance

Escape the Sol system

(Story-related) Earned by completing the tutorial and leaving the solar system by using the warpgate.

Space Opera

Complete the game

Impressive!

Complete the game on Expert

Masochist

Complete the game on Insane

(Story-related) Earned by completing Chapter 4 and finishing the game. You can set the difficulty as you start the game, and you can reduce (but not increase) it at any time from the options menu. Earning the achievement for Insane unlocks the other completion achievements as well. For specific gameplay tips, see the Introduction section of this guide.

Single Minded

Never use respec

Respec is used to refund spent upgrade points in the Research Screen (default: F4). However, there is no shortage of upgrade points in this game, as you can level up fairly easily and it’s even possible to max out every single tech category, although the game will likely end well before you reach such a high tech level. Not to be confused with refit (you can switch up your ship loadouts at any time).

Sniper

Beat a warpgate 10 levels higher than you

You must defeat the UTA blockade at any warpgate leading to a system that is at least 10 levels above your current tech level. It’s better to attempt this achievement in a galaxy with fewer star systems, as the level gap between the systems will be higher, making it easier to find suitable warpgates.

War Hero

Clear all zombie infection

Zombies finally start appearing in Chapter 3, but you can only start clearing the infection in Chapter 4 when all inner star systems become overrun with zombies. Just complete the infection mission in all those systems. Be careful, as zombies can re-infect worlds that border infected star systems. It’s usually best to upgrade the local UTA starbases to better fight off the zombie invasions in contested systems and buy time to clear out the other systems.

Santa's Little Helper

Feed Santa so much milk and cookies that an elf falls off his sleigh

Although originally introduced in the 2011 Steam winter event, this achievement can be earned at any time. When launching the game, simply choose the WinterHoliday mod option from the launcher. In addition to several aesthetic changes, this mod causes milk and cookies to occasionally drop from destroyed enemy ships. The Santa’s sleigh will always fly past and pick them up, dropping presents and a unique specialist along the way.

BASE KILLINGTON

Defeat a Tier 3 bounty hunter stronghold in Chapter 4. In short, do the impossible. You have our sympathy.

Bounty hunter strongholds are insanely powerful and nigh impossible to destroy even with the most powerful ships and technology when using conventional tactics. However, the most useful strategy is still the same as with destroying regular UTA and civilian starbases (any huge ship with a huge cannon and tons of cannon boosters). Just make sure that your flagship isn’t focused down by the ridiculous amount of enemy firepower.

Arena Champion

Beat all 10 arena ladders and all 5 tiers on bronze, silver and gold level. Be the champ of 150 events.

The arena can be accessed from any bounty hunter stronghold. It consists of short challenge missions, split into ten ladders of ascending difficulty, from Novice to Legendary. Not all ladders are available in every stronghold. More difficult ladders can only be accessed at bounty hunter bases located in higher-level systems, and the hardest ladders are only found in Chapter 4 strongholds.

Each ladder has five different events (missions) that are further split into three difficulties (easy, normal, hard). These missions provide you with a ship, a fixed loadout and tech level, and set you against other ships with varying conditions (such as having to destroy a vastly superior vessel by using a single cloaked ship, etc). The challenges can be replayed any number of times at no penalty or cost.

Completing arena events is a useful way of earning Rez and high-level specialists, although completing all 150 challenges will likely take a lot of time. The difficulty of events is NOT affected by the chosen campaign difficulty. It is also not tied to the actual ladder itself. For example, I’ve found some Legendary ladder events to be far easier than some Experienced ladder events.

Conclusion

That's it. I hope this guide has been useful.

Thanks for reading.

Good luck and have fun playing!

Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=535903763

SPAZ Achievement Guide

Introduction

Achievements (part 1)

Achievements (part 2)

Achievements (part 3)

Conclusion

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